HOW TO IDENTIFY CHICKEN BREEDS AND GENDER

As a chicken farmer and owner we all know how fun it is to get that mixed-breed and genders from  the hatchery or from local chicken  sellers, but many of us dont know the breed of the chicks you are buying, or you just want to know the gender! Well here are some steps how to tell the gender and breed of your chicks. But remember! Some breeds (Such as Old English Game Bantams), are REALLY easy to tell the gender, and others can take MONTHS! (Such as Easter Eggers) Some even like us to think their roosters, only to lay an egg.

These are things you Need to Know to determine the breed and gender of chicken.
So heres some stuff you need to know. Firstly please don't be asking the gender or breed of your 3 day old chick. SOME breeds you can figure out if we know what hatchery (if you ordered from one) you ordered from, and if the chick (or Duck, or turkey, but I won't be putting steps for telling their gender or breed, but a lot of this info can be applied to those as well) is unique. As for the gender telling, you must know this.
Saddle feathers

A male has pointed, often long, saddle feathers. Their tail feathers tend to be longer, more rounded, and shinier then females .

As you can see, the male , the saddle feathers are very apparent, vs hens, where it doesn't make much of a difference.
Some female do has same colour as the female. so you can see how the saddle feathers are apparent, even on the same bree
Another thing is, hens do not always have a smaller comb then the cockerels . In most cases, yes, but hens can have larger combs (depending on the breed of course), and hens can have large combs in general.
 To determine gender of chicken 
These are some steps to look for to determine  the sex of most chickens, however, some chickens are later, or earlier bloomers. This is a general guide, and it varies.

1.  Comb. large comb is for the male.
Turkey can be hard to determine their sex, due to having large combs, but I know this was male. As you can see, he has a large comb. That is a classic sign of a male.. The earlier the comb is red, and the larger, the more likely the chicken will be a male. However, after about 6 weeks, all chickens should have some reddening in the comb by then and this tell that they are make and any other chicken and Turkey are male.


2. Another way to tell the sex, is by the feathers. While by this time the gender should be obvious, if your still new, or bought it as an adult, they male feather will quickly shows. while the female will take more day before it shows.
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COPING WITH FEAR, STRESS AND ANXIETY

Fear, Stress and Axiety. Sometimes these emotions can easily pass, but there are those moments where they just stick around longer than you think, and it can paralyze someone from participating in what we need to focus on.

These emotions can be crippling if we don’t know how to recognize it, and know how to deal with them. These unfriendly, and sometimes unwanted emotions can pop up anywhere, for instance in a meeting at work, talking to your friends, or watching TV. It can interfere with our decision making process, and our ability to connect with those around us and also affect our thinking .

If you are experiencing any of emotional problems, here are some steps that could be helpful to get you back on track.

1) Breathe:

Pretty easy, and we as adults get to do it about 12 – 20 breaths a minute. When taking your next 3 - 5 breaths, taking deep belly breaths could help clear up any stubborn emotions that might be lingering.

2) Recognize what the problem  is:
Sometimes the hardest step is understanding what it is that we are experiencing in the current moment. If that emotion is unfamiliar or you can’t put a name to it, take note of it. So, if you experience it again it might feel a little bit more familiar, and identifying that particular feeling can be easier.

3) Change your Scenery:

 if we focus our attention on something else, it can change our thinking . By changing our focus, we can better navigate our focus from the emotions we are currently experiencing. It can be as easy as simply getting up, and taking a walk.

4) Chat it Up:

Also, just another way to help shift your focus is by just chatting with a coworker, a barista, or maybe even spend some time with your pet.

5) Mindfulness/Meditation Practice:

One good way to change your relationship with stress, fear or anxiety is starting a mindful or meditation practice. It can be as long as you need it to be, and to start out 3 -5 minutes might just work. There are so many different ways to be mindful and meditate, and here are a few options to consider Visual Meditation, Loving –Kindness Meditation, and Transcendental Meditation.

These changes may help in the moment, but if you want to ultimately transform your relationship with stress, fear, or anxiety it may take dedication, and being mindful in each those moments when you experience these emotional feelings.

Don't also forget prayer, run for sin because sin bring fear and anxiety. Move closer to God and meditate in his words.

BENEFITS OF HAVING BACKYARD CHICKEN

Are Chickens the new "dog"?

Having a small backyard flock of chickens is a growing trend in countries around the world. And it is not just country folks who enjoy raising chickens, more and more cities are relaxing their laws and ordinances and allowing chickens, so city dwellers can enjoy this pleasant hobby too. Many celebrities such a Jennifer Aniston, Barbra Streisand, Miley Cyrus, Chevy Chase, Reese Witherspoon and Martha Steward raise backyard chickens. So why are pet chickens so popular? Let's have a look at some of the benefits of raising backyard chickens.

Chickens are easy, inexpensive pets with benefits

- Starting with and keeping chickens is relatively inexpensive. See here for a breakdown of start up and ongoing costs.
- Meat birds (Cornish Cross) are usually processed around the age of 7 – 9 weeks. So after feeding them for only 2 months, you can stock your freezer with your own wonderful, fresh, home-grown meat.
- When you raise your own chickens, you know what went into the meat and eggs. It’s a safer and healthier alternative to factory farmed poultry and eggs.
- The meat of farm-raised chicken has significantly less fat (and fewer calories) than typical store-bought chicken.
- Backyard and free ranged hens produce eggs that are very nutritious and great tasting. Not to mention they are always fresh! Free ranged and backyard hens' eggs are also much healthier than battery hens' eggs. Here is a comparison between the nutrient content of free range vs battery eggs:

Nutrient Content - Battery Eggs Nutrient Content - Free Range Eggs
Vitamin A - 0.97mg Vitamin A - 7.37mb
Vitamin E - 487IU Vitamin E - 763IU
Beta Carotene - 10mg Beta Carotene - 76.2mg
Folate - 47mcg Folate - 0.71g
Omega 3 - 0.033mg Omega 3 - 292mg
Cholesterol - 423mg Cholesterol - 231mg
Saturated Fat - 3.1
Saturated Fat - 2.31g

- Chickens make great pets for children and great 4H projects.
- They are friendly, easy to manage, low maintenance and can be kept as house pets as well.
- Chickens are a food source. Hens will provide you with wonderful fresh eggs and cockerels (and retired hens) can be processed and eaten.
- Chickens are entertaining and keeping and spending time with your feathered friends, or just "watching chicken TV", can be rewarding and at times very funny, as this member discovered.

Free range chickens are excellent, hard working gardeners

- Once you’ve harvested everything you want from your vegetable garden, your chickens will happily clear the beds, scratching out and eating unwanted weeds, slugs and seeds and fertilizing the soil while they're at it.
- Own an orchard or a few fruit trees? Chickens will devour the fallen fruit before it can attract insects.
- Chicken manure contains high levels of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.
- Chicken manure is more economically valuable than synthetic fertilizers.
- Chicken manure can be used to make fertilizer tea.
- Chickens love digging and scratching around in compost heaps and composting with chickens can be very beneficial for your compost heaps too.
- Chickens will happily take care of crickets, grass hoppers, snails and other pests in the garden.

LOVE AS A COMPONENT OF FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT

Fruit is the natural result of growth, and the spirit explains exactly  who causes that growth. The fruit of the Holy Spirit is the result of the Holy Spirit"s presence and operation in the life of a true Christian .
It is not of our power or straining ,but by the power of the Holy Spirit. No amount  of human  toil or gritty determination can produce spiritual fruit, but the Spirit of God in us influence in a yielded heart can work miracles. The Bible makes it clear that everyone receives the Holy Spirit the moment he or she believes in Jesus Christ  (Roman8:9).
One of the primary  purposes  of the Holy Spirit coming to your life is to change that life, it is the job of the Holy Spirit to conform you to the image of Christ, making you more like Him. Our sinful nature produces certain types  of fruit that reflect our nature , and the Holy Spirit produces types of fruit that reflect Jesus nature.

THE CHARACTERISTIC  OF THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT
The fruit of the spirit are love, joy, peace, longsuffering , gentleness , goodness , faith, temperance  and truth.
The Christian  life is a battle  of the sinful flesh against  the new nature given by Jesus (2Corinthians 5:17). As a Christian , we have the Holy Spirit producing His fruit in us and we have the Holy Spirit's power available  to conquer the acts of the sinful  nature.

LOVE AS A COMPONENT  OF THE FRUIT OF SPIRIT
  The love Christian  are expected to demonstrate as a fruit of the Spirit is based on the two great commandments of God.
1. Love your God.
2. Love your neighbour., Matthew  22:35-40
Therefore love can be defined as outgoing concern demonstrated by following  God's commandments as it was written in the Bible. Love is kind, love suffer long, love does not envy, love does not seek its own, is not quickly  provoked , think no evil, love does not rejoice in iniquity but rejoice in the truth, love bear all things, believe in all things, love never fails.
The love which the Holy spirit Jenifer's in believers is agape, This love is not a feeling but a choice. It is a choice to be kind, to sacrifice and to consider others need greater than one's own.
God bless you as you read and put it in practice . Share with others to uplift their spirit.

HERE ARE SOME WAYS TO KEEP YOUR CHICKENS AND TURKEYS HEALTHY AND PROFITABLE

Healthy chicken brings healthy profit, as a poultry farmer , you need to keep your chicken and turkey healthy .
Here are some ways to keep your chickens healthy and happy.

1.Cleaning the chicken  house. Cleaning the house is very important for keeping happy, healthy chickens. If you don't clean the house you risk an invitation of lice, mites, and other parasites. Cleaning your your chicken  house isn't always easy but a must. Start by getting all the bedding from the floor o and the nesting boxes and clean it. If any eggs have cracked then make sure to clean up that mess too. Then if needed you can scrub any really soiled spots with some soap and water. Dry it then put some fresh shavings in. you can use a Garden and Poultry Dust to dust the house to keeps out parasites.  Clean out the poop in the nesting boxes everyday or when needed. there will be a lot of poop up there. Scrape it off.

2.Cleaning Feeders and Waterers Cleaning these out around every two weeks is a good idea. If you have a plastic waterer it gets pretty slimy so you will need to scrub that with some soap and water. If you want to put some Apple Cider Vinegar in the water, but only in plastic waterers not in metal. If there is any poop in the water dump it out and give them some fresh water. Make sure your chickens have fresh clean water at all times. The feeders aren't very dirty unless they have been pooped on or have gotten dirt or something in them. Clean the with soap and water. And make sure you rinse them well.

3. Keeping Feed Clean; Make sure that you store your feed in places were bugs, mice, and rats wont get into. Plastic containers or metal trash cans work fine. Always make sure that the tops are closed and make sure that the feed inside cant get wet and turn moldy. Make sure there is no poop in the feed (like mice and rat poop.

4.Deworming Your Chickens;  If you want to deworm  your chickens then deworm them if you see any worms in there poop or if your chickens have been around other poultry that has them. There are a lot of different dewormers, and you can easily find them in your local stores.

5.Letting your chickens free range; This is a great way for you chickens to get some nutrition by eating fresh bugs and grass. Also getting out in the fresh air is good for your  chicken .
Remember , an healthy chicken is the joy of every farmer, the healthier  your chicken the more happy  you are and the more profit you make. Thanks for reading.

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW BEFORE ADDING NEW CHICKEN TO YOUR FLOCK.

When you begin raising, you started with little number of chicken then, but at time goes you decide to add more chicken to your flock, these are what your should know or consider.
Most of us have felt sorry for and rescued chickens. But not taking the proper time and work to keep them separate from your original flock spells disaster! losing your chicken to a disease brought in by some chicken that you have add to your flocks. The guilt can make you want to get out of raising chickens. Not to mention the work to clean up your environment to make it safe for anymore chickens to live there..

When thinking of getting more chickens? Read here first, please! I know many of you are planning to pick up new chickens at some of the upcoming swaps and meets. Please read this and take to heart some very simple advice given by an experienced chicken owner.
When you get new chickens, please do not go straight home and put them in with your current flock. Do not put them in a pen inside your existing chicken house. Do not house them in the same area with the old flocks.
Be prepared. Make a different place for them to live alone and away from your current flock for an extended time. If you don't have an area now, then please don't get new chickens until you do.
New chickens need to be quarantined away from your other chickens for at least 30 days. Each flock of chickens has their own germs that make them immune to certain things in their environment. Before adding to your flocks.
1. Observe for any signs of illness or disease.
2. Practice good hygiene and wash your hands a lot!
3. Enjoy your new birds while planning how to best integrate them into the flock at the end of the quarantine.
4. Give new birds a supplement in their water to boost their immune system. Give them good probiotics - as simple as giving them a dish of yogurt.
5. You might consider giving them a little extra protein as they will be stressed being in a new place and might drop some feathers or a little weight.
Please give serious consideration to these simple ways of protecting your chickens, your kids and yourself.

Quarantine advice:
I've seen so many people who have bought new birds, and because they seem healthy, immediately throw them in with their flock. You MUST quarantine newly purchased birds unless you have bought chicks from a hatchery.
Disease can take up to a month to show up in a seemingly healthy chicken. Many, many of these common diseases make a chicken a carrier for life, and if your flock gets it, they become carriers for life. Some are even reportable to the state and the birds must be destroyed in some cases.
Some sellers are not aware their birds are ill, and some are just plain unscrupulous and don't care. I have only purchased ONE grown bird (my roo Hawkeye), and I kept him in quarantine for over a month. During the quarantine, I found that he did have a fungal infection on his comb and face and lice. I treated both and he was healed of both by the time he joined my flock, but it was very stressful and I'll probably never buy adult birds again.
During quarantine, the main things to look for are lice, mites, breathing problems, discharges from eyes or nostrils, fungus type patches on the combs and wattles, raised scales on the legs, indicating scaly leg mites, etc. I certainly understand not having money for them to be vet-checked, and truthfully, most vets know nothing about chickens anyway.
They should not share the same airspace because some diseases are airborne, as in coughing and sneezing, etc. I put my Hawkeye in a dog kennel in the basement bathroom while I went over things about him and fed him proper feed and observed his health. He did not breathe the same air as my flock for over a month.
And you may ask what to do if you see any symptoms in the quarantined birds after the month is over? I can only tell you what I would have done with Hawkeye if he had had anything contagious other than a fungus that could be fixed - I would have put him down. He came very close, too. What I thought at first glance to be canker in his throat turned out to be just a wad of feed on the wall of the throat. He got a clean bill of health and has been a wonderful addition to my flock, but it could just as easily gone the other way. It's harsh, but it's reality. Keeping that one bird would never have been worth risking my entire healthy flock.
If keep to these advice, adding new chicken to your flock can be a gain.

TIP ON HOW TO RAISE CHICKEN FOR MEAT AT YOUR BACKYARD.

Eating good meat and health meat should be a concern to all family, healthy meat can be produce from chicken, and all tips you need to know in raising chickens for meat at your backyard will be discuss and analyzed in this article, it is a very exciting, interesting, and rewarding experience. It is surprisingly easy for all ages and is suitable for someone with limited space and finance.